Hope you're all doing well! I'm just happy to bring you all this next chapter!

Naruto and Sasuke stared at the mirrors, wondering what was happening. "Where is he?!" Sasuke shouted.

"Well, if he can get inside…so can we!" Naruto put his all into his jump, intending to bust through into the mirror…and slammed into it hard, falling onto his back. "Ow…"

"The mirrors are mine, and mine alone." Haku explained. "No one else can enter, even if I willed it." Sasuke looked around. Even with his sharingan eyes, he couldn't find a hole in this technique.

"Then we'll just attack you as soon as you get out!" Naruto said.

"I'd like to see you try that." As soon as Haku's reflection began to recede, both Naruto and Sasuke stumbled as something hit them both at super speed. As soon as it ended, Haku's image returned to the mirrors. "I can exit the mirrors at super speed, at any direction I wish!"

Naruto and Sasuke stared back, refusing to give up, but unsure how to win.

Kakashi rolled away as the Kubikiribocho came down where he was. Kakashi countered with a kunai, throwing it right into the sword. At the end of it was a smoldering explosive tag. As it reached the end, it exploded and took out a good portion of Kubikiribocho with it. "Ngh!" Zabuza stumbled as the shards sailed past him. The damage to him wasn't serious, but if he reacted wrong it could have ended badly for him. "One good turn deserves another!" Zabuza disappeared again.

Kakashi quickly slowed down his breathing, and closed his eyes. "I may not have mastered this the way Zabuza has, but I've some skill in this art as well!" Focusing, he heard the footsteps. And within a second, he was able to pinpoint his location. "There!" Kakashi took a kunai and jammed it right into Zabuza's heart. Zabuza's eyes widened as the breath escaped him. Kakashi sighed in relief…and then water came out of Zabuza, engulfing his arm in a vice grip. "No!" Kakashi tried to pull his hand out, but the body expanded into a jellyfish like shape. "Even with the sharingan, I can't differentiate between people and bushins!"

Zabuza suddenly sprinted through the mist. "Yaaah!" With a swing of his sword, an arm flung.

"Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Sasuke blew a fireball at the mirrors. Most ice structures would have been reduced to puddles, but these mirrors remained. "Shit!" Sasuke caught the glimmer of Haku leaving his protective mirrors. "Naruto, look out!" Sasuke tackled Naruto, rolling with his momentum. Sasuke felt something sharp cut across him back, but thankfully it wasn't deep.

Haku returned to his space. "It seems his sharingan can help him see objects moving at high speed. But not enough to save them!" Haku moved once more, this time throwing needles from each of his mirrors. But what happened next surprised him again.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Naruto duplicated himself, and the clones quickly covered Naruto and Sasuke like human shields. The needles destroyed the clones, but Naruto and Sasuke remained unharmed.

Looking up, Sasuke caught the glimmer of movement again. "Look out!" Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the arm, and swung him away from the moving blur that passed by them. This time, Sasuke felt no cut; he dodged him entirely. "Am I getting faster?" Haku returned to the mirrors. He seemed to be waiting for something. "Naruto! Shield us again!"

"Right!" Naruto made his sign and made his Kage Bushin dome. A second later, a barrage of needles assaulted them.

"Naruto! Haku may be untouchable within the mirrors, but it's putting a strain on him! The longer he uses it, the more it saps his energy! His time between attacks is increasing!" As the clones dissipated, Sasuke pulled out another kunai.

"Maybe, but he's not going to repeat himself! Come on!" Naruto made more bushin, half of them getting on the shoulders of the others as Naruto and Sasuke ran forward. True to Naruto's prediction, Haku did another barrage of needles again. The bushin took the brunt of it from the front, while Sasuke watched Naruto's six and fired a fireball at the needles that came from the rear, incinerating them. They rolled under the mirrors as Naruto's human shields vanished. "We made it!" Naruto said.

However, the mirrors began to move independently. "Shit." Sasuke growled. "Naruto! As long as we stay in the open, we'll be vulnerable!"

Naruto looked behind them. There was nothing but open ocean. Then Naruto remembered the railings right under the bridge… "Sasuke! Follow me!" Unable to offer an alternative, Sasuke followed Naruto off the bridge.

Inside the mirrors, Haku was puzzled. Where could they be going? His mirrors hovered over both sides of the bridges, and descended.

"Uhhh…" Zabuza stared at the samurai whose arm he cut off, in place of Kakashi. "No one has been able to pull substitution on one of my traps before." Zabuza closed his eyes again. "Run, Kakashi. Hide. I am death incarnate." He said. "And no one can escape death forever."

Zabuza suddenly struck the concrete, kicking up debris. Kakashi jumped out, avoiding a slash. "He can even hear me within the earth!" Kakashi clutched his wounds. "I'm running out of tricks. Except…"

Naruto and Sasuke immediately went inside the railings. "Good thinking, Naruto." Sasuke complimented him. "In these tight spaces, he won't be able to use his mirror technique to its full potential."

They saw the mirrors hover outside. Indeed, they could not advance past the thick metal maze the two genin placed themselves in. Still, they knew he wouldn't stop, and watched each other's back. Haku launched himself from one of the mirrors, flying perfectly through the tight spaces. Even Sasuke wasn't able to see him coming in time, as Haku cut Naruto across the arm, causing him to fall over. "Naruto!" Naruto managed to grab the railing with his good hand, and held on tight. Haku, not in a position to return to his mirror dimension, faced Sasuke on the railing and punched him hard across the face. Sasuke went with it and used his knee to stabilize himself, as he punched Haku back in the stomach. Sasuke tried to stab him with a kunai, but Haku caught his hand in a wrist lock and forced him to let it go, the kunai falling into the bay.

Naruto flipped himself back up to the railing and kicked Haku in the back. As Haku stumbled, Sasuke followed with an elbow to the chin. Haku found himself in the middle blocking as Naruto and Sasuke assaulted him with a barrage of strikes. Within a second, both genin landed two round kicks on him, causing him to fall over. They watched him fall into the bay…and like a magic carpet, one of the mirrors flew under him and caught him as he safely sunk into it. "Shit." Naruto breathed.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Sasuke asked. "He got you good."

Naruto looked to his right arm, where Haku tagged him. It was a deep cut; Naruto shouldn't have been able to use his arm for a while. But the wound was already healed, with only a long scab across his arm to show for it. "Yeah." Naruto said, moving his arm in a circle. "I'm fine."

Sasuke blinked, astonished. "Well, whatever."

Naruto and Sasuke eyed the mirrors as Haku repositioned himself. "Well, he can't get us the same way twice!"

Just then, a javelin made of ice suddenly pierced the railing. The metal suddenly became cold as the projectile increased in size and bent the metal. "Naruto, jump!" The two jumped off as the metal broke and fell into the bay.

Naruto squeezed between the railings as he tried to get away. Suddenly, Haku appeared before him. He punched him hard in the stomach, and went in for the kill with his needle. Surprisingly, Naruto blocked it and managed to kick Haku back. "This is bad!" Haku thought as he planted himself on the upper workings of the metal. "He's getting stronger!"

Naruto also planted himself at Haku's level, and jumped to attack.

Sasuke maneuvered between the tight spaces, finding Naruto and Haku fighting. Naruto was aggressive and reckless, while Haku was on the defensive but in control. Sasuke realized he had a clear shot at Haku from this angle, without endangering Naruto. He made his hand signs, preparing another fireball. He breathed…and nearly choked. All that came out was a puff of flame, no greater than a bunsen burner. "Shit! I reached my limit!" Not content to stand by and do nothing, Sasuke maneuvered his way through the metal.

Naruto cocked his hand back for a punch, and tried to smack Haku's face in. Haku seemingly disintegrated into snow, and Naruto's knuckles instead met the hard steel. "Ow!" Naruto pulled his hand back and shook it hard.

Haku reappeared behind him, preparing to stab him in the neck. When he moved, the orange ninja leaned back and nearly fell off, grabbing onto the railings to avoid falling. Haku prepared more ice needles, but a clone came from behind the metal and kicked him. Haku surprisingly lost balance and nearly fell off the edge. He even waved his arms back in a desperate attempt to regain balance.

Looking down in the water, he remembered a day back in his training…

Haku ran through the forest for the tenth time. Zabuza was a stern master, and demanded absolute perfection. Haku found the targets marked on the trees. Haku drew his needles, and fired them one by one. Each needle hit their targets perfectly. Until the last one; the needle missed the x and hit the side of the tree.

"Again!" Zabuza shouted.

Haku looked at him pleadingly. "B-but, it would have hurt-"

Zabuza cut him off with a hard slap across the face. "You are not learning to hurt, you are learning to kill!" Zabuza kneeled down to his level, and looked him in the eye. "When I took you away from there, remember what I told you?"

Haku shook a little bit. "I am your weapon, your tool…"

"And what do people do when a tool does not perform its function?"

"They are discarded."

"Exactly." Zabuza replied . He rose back to his feet. "I went through a lot of trouble to get you out. Do not give me a reason to regret that decision. Now do it again!"

Haku began the exercise, determined to get it right. For his master.

And for his life.

"Rrrrgh!" In an uncharacteristic outburst, Haku jumped up and kicked Naruto away, having finally found his balance. "I will not fail Zabuza-sama!" Haku shouted, jamming his fingers in between Naruto's ribs.

"Nnngh!"

"One day, my time will come! But not by your hands!" Haku threw his needles. Naruto made another clone to shield him, but they went through it and still cut him to ribbons. Naruto managed to react and jumped back onto the bridge's adjacent pillar before Haku could catch him.

Naruto looked behind him, and got an idea. "You're slipping, Haku!" Naruto called out to him. "I bet you've never been in this situation before, have you? Fighting someone above a level you haven't trained for!"

Haku sneered under his mask. "Above me?" Haku formed another mirror, and walked into it. "You have barely touched my knees at this point."

Naruto waited for his moment, seeing Sasuke far away at the railings. He nodded, and Sasuke nodded back. Even low on chakra, Sasuke's sharingan managed to catch the glimmer. "Na-"

Naruto didn't wait for him to finish, lest he be too late. He simply stopped pouring his chakra into his feet, and let gravity take hold of him. At that moment, Haku launched himself from the mirror, and hit the pillar head first. It seemed he would fall unconscious, but his hand grabbed the edge, stopping his fall.

Haku was now seeing double, as Naruto regained his grip and ran up to him. He caught him in a clench, kneeing him in the stomach. Haku fought back with an open palm to Naruto's chin, and fired another punch to the stomach. Naruto held his grip on Haku as he let go of his grip on the pillar. Haku struggled to maintain his footing, but a quick kick to the shin made him slip.

Naruto jumped off of Haku to get away, and Sasuke launched a Manriki-gusari, a long chain which Naruto grabbed onto. Haku, meanwhile, summoned another mirror, which he fell into safely.

Kakashi breathed. He was running low on chakra, and right now, Zabuza held all the advantages. Kakashi noticed his blood pooling on the ground. Though nothing major was cut, at this rate he risked a bleed-out if he didn't act. "Wait…blood! That's it!"

Kakashi pulled out a scroll, opened it and smeared some blood on it.

"You were a worthy opponent, but I make it a point to put business before pleasure." Zabuza announced from the mist. "Besides, I'm bored now anyway."

Kakashi sighed. "Then come get me." Kakashi made his hand signs, ending in the sign of the ram. "Kuchiyose Doton! Tsuiga no Jutsu!" Kakashi smashed the scroll onto the concrete, and the kanji within somehow flew off the paper and dug itself into the concrete.

Kakashi simply remained where he was, Zabuza closing in on him with his sword raised high. Suddenly, several giant dogs erupted from within the concrete. "What?!" Zabuza tried to swing his sword, but one of the dogs got a firm grip on his wrists. The others took hold of his limbs, while the largest came in from behind and clamped down on his head. It wasn't strong enough to crush his skull, but Zabuza felt the blood trickle down his head. "What is this?!"

"You got my blood all over you Zabuza." Kakashi said, standing up. "My hounds were able to track you with it, and now you're caught." Zabuza struggled, but they were strong. "Don't struggle; you'll only make it worse."

Sasuke pulled Naruto up into the railings. "You're crazy, you know that, right?"

"It worked, didn't it?" Naruto asked.

"For now." Sasuke blinked, and his sharingan was gone.

"Hey!" Naruto noticed. "You had the same eye as Kakashi! But, two of them!"

"Yeah."

"How?!"

Before anymore could be said, they saw Haku's mirrors surround them outside the railings again. "Ah! Turn them back on, turn them back on!" Naruto shouted in panic.

"I'm at my limit!" Sasuke shouted.

However, Haku didn't fly right into them this time. Instead, his needles shot right into where the railings were bolted into the bridge above. Like fuses, a trail of ice traveled down the needles, causing them to explode. The explosions themselves were small, but they succeeded in disconnecting the rails from the main bridge.

Neither Naruto nor Sasuke could react in time, going down with the debris.

"Get down!" Tazuna shouted to his family. The three crouched down and feebly protected themselves as the steel came down.

Thankfully, the debris was concentrated in the area from which they fell directly below, and the family was unharmed.

Naruto groaned, half wondering if his skull was cracked wide open from the fall. Though his head pounded, he managed to sit up and get a bearing of his surroundings. "Ohh…" Naruto then found Sasuke, lying face first on a platform at the base of the pier. It was a miracle the debris didn't crush him. "Hey! Sasuke!" Naruto called.

Sasuke rose, looking at him. "One heck of a day, huh?" Naruto chuckled in spite of the situation. He cut it even closer than Sasuke, surrounded by metal that seemed to try to impale him on the pier across from the Uchiha.

"You have proven to be a much stronger and craftier opponent than I gave you credit for." Haku announced from his mirrors, which had surrounded Naruto. The blonde tried to escape, but found his ankle pinned between the debris. "Congratulations. You've proven yourself both an obstacle and a threat to our objective. Now, die!"

Naruto had no clue what to do. He closed his eyes, anticipating the needles skewering him. However, nothing came. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, and widened in shock. Sasuke stood in front of him, taking in all the needles meant for him. Naruto was speechless, while Haku was shocked underneath his mask.

Sasuke's knees buckled, and he fell backwards over to Naruto. "Sasuke!" Naruto reached over and shook him. "Sasuke!"

"Ngh!" Sasuke moaned, but he was having great difficulty moving.

"Why?!" Naruto shouted. "What did you go and do that for?!"

Sasuke wheezed, his chest rising rapidly. Even Naruto could tell he was having extreme difficulty breathing. "I don't know, my body just moved on its own!" He said. Naruto reached over, gripping his shoulder. "I guess…" Sasuke gritted his teeth as he felt his body course with pain. "I guess I couldn't bare to lose anyone else again." Naruto's eyes widened. "Shit…" Sasuke wheezed. "I didn't want to go. Not yet. He…" An image of red eyes like his, but shaped differently, flashed in his mind. "He's still out there." Sasuke struggled to move, but it was all he could do to convulse slightly. "He has…has to pay."

Finally, Sasuke lay still, his eyes closed. "Shit!" Naruto finally pulled his ankle out and cradled Sasuke's body. "Wake up, teme! I'm the prankster here! You're doing it wrong! This isn't funny!" Sasuke didn't respond. "Damn it, are you listening?!" It finally dawned on him: there was no coming back from this. Naruto's head hung low. "Why…?" He asked himself. "Why did this have to happen? Why am I feeling this way?!" Naruto punched the steel in anger, not feeling the pain. "Is this what it feels like…to lose someone?!"

"Now you understand?" Haku asked, stepping out of his mirror. "You are too kind for our world. Death comes for us all. And you did not have the strength necessary to protect him. In the end, he was better off without you. After all, if it weren't for you, he would still be alive."

Still crying, Naruto stood. "Maybe you're right." Suddenly, Haku felt an intense pressure. "I couldn't protect him; I got him killed."

His chakra then became visible, a red, fire like energy swirling around them. "For chakra to be visible-! To have such concentrated power, it is impossible!" Haku thought in panic.

Naruto's nails lengthened into claws, and his breathing became deeper. "But it doesn't change the fact he didn't deserve this-!" Naruto turned around. His cerulean eyes turned red, his pupils became slits, his whisker marks became thicker, and his teeth became fangs. "I'm going to kill you, Haku!"

For the first time in his life, Haku was paralyzed with fear.

And here you go!

Things play out very similarly as in the original, but I wanted Naruto to have a more strategic role in the fight against Haku. Again, he needs to learn to lead, and part of that is to take a strategic role in battle. Whether it was because Kishi wanted Naruto to remain the stupid shonen protagonist or bad writing on his part, I don't know.

Also, the exercise with the feet attaching to other surfaces never went anywhere in the first arc. It barely came in handy throughout the series, and it certainly didn't help against Haku. I thought this would be a good opportunity to have Naruto and Sauske use their training and environment against Haku. Hope you all enjoyed the tactics!